First Circuit Remands Equal Protection Challenge to Mass. Gaming Law; Remands for Trial on Merits (and Carcieri)

The opinion is here.

Excerpts:

Given this situation, the lack of clear answers on questions of both state and federal law, the shifting of the nature of the injury to KG, and the apparent attempt to allow some time for the IGRA process to work (including any Carcieri fix), we cannot say there was an abuse of discretion in the denial of preliminary injunctive relief. “An injunction is an exercise of a court’s equitable authority, to be ordered only after taking into account all of the circumstances that bear on the need for prospective relief.” Salazar v. Buono, 130 S. Ct. 1803, 1816 (2010). “Equitable relief is not granted as a matter of course, and a court should be particularly cautious when contemplating relief that implicates public interests.” Id. (citations omitted).

And:

The district court’s dismissal of the complaint is another matter. We simply cannot say that KG’s equal protection claim as to § 91 fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted, or that the issuance of equitable relief may not be appropriate at some future date.
We also affirm the dismissal with prejudice of KG’s claims as to the $5 million appropriation, the advisory committee seat, and the preemption challenge to § 91. We dismiss KG’s state-law claims without prejudice. We remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.